Method to convert insects or worms into nutrient streams and compositions obtained thereby

ABSTRACT

A method to convert insects or worms into nutrient streams, such as a fat-containing, an aqueous protein-containing and a solid-containing fraction, includes (a) squashing insects or worms thereby obtaining a pulp, wherein the insects or worms are reduced in size, (b) heating the pulp to a temperature of 70-100° C., and (c) subjecting the heated pulp to a physical separation step, preferably decanting and/or centrifuging. The method does not comprise enzymatic treatment of the pulp. The fat-containing fraction comprises at least 80 wt. % insect or worm fat of which at least 40 wt. % are saturated fats. The aqueous protein fraction can be dried to obtain dried protein material, which contains at least 50 wt. % insect or worm protein-derived matter and at most 25 wt. % insect or worm fat based on dry weight. The protein has a pepsin digestibility of at least 50%. The resulting nutrient streams can be used in food, petfood, feed and pharmaceutical industry.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is the United States national phase of InternationalApplication No. PCT/NL2014/050077 filed Feb. 7, 2014, and claimspriority to Netherlands Patent Application No. 2010268 filed Feb. 7,2013, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/761,735 filed Feb.7, 2013, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated in theirentirety by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The invention relates to the field of obtaining nutrients, feed andfoodstuffs from insects or worms. In particular, the invention presentsa method to convert insects or worms into nutrient streams, encompassinga fat-containing fraction, an aqueous protein fraction and/or asolid-containing fraction.

Description of Related Art

In the past decades, there has been a growing interest to use insectsand worms as a food source, especially in view of the growth of globalpopulation and malnutrition in the developing world. Since insects andworms are rich in proteins and sometimes fats, they represent arelatively high caloric value. Although in some populations it is commonto consume insects and worms, e.g. in Africa, Asia, Australia, these areusually eaten as such, be it as a whole or in parts, or used in thepreparation of dishes.

However, it is desirable to be able to process insects and worms on anindustrial scale to produce nutrients, which subsequently may be used inthe preparation of food or feed products.

From several publications, it is known to obtain some particularnutrients from insects, such as proteins or fats.

JP2009254348 A concerns obtaining proteins from bee larvae. Dried larvaeare suspended in water, whereto a lypolytic enzyme is added to decomposethe lipids. After that, a proteolytic enzyme is added to hydrolyseproteins and the resulting mixture is filtered and the protein iscollected. RU 2345139 C2 describes the recovery of chitin fromcultivated larvae. WO 2008/091137 concerns an ethanol extract from housefly larvae, which is obtained by drying the larvae, dissolving these inan organic solvent to remove fats and mixing the residue with ethanol toobtain the extract. WO 2011/006276 describes obtaining fatty acids frominsect larvae, wherein the fatty acids are extracted using organicsolvent.

It is however not known to fully utilise insects or worms and to convertthese into several nutrient streams, such as proteins, fats and chitin,from which streams the nutrients can optimally and easily be recovered.

An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a method thatconverts insects or worms into nutrient streams, and preferably into twoor three nutrient streams, being a fat-containing stream and a proteincontaining stream, which can further be separated into an aqueousprotein stream and a solids-containing stream, such as chitin.

Another object of the invention is to provide a processing method forinsects or worms that results in nutrients that are not contaminatedwith toxic substances and are safe to be used in preparation of variousfood or feed products and pharmaceuticals.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a method that issimple, does not require costly equipment or reagents and can easily bescaled up in a large production facility.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the invention provides, in a first aspect, a method toconvert insects or worms into nutrient streams, comprising the steps of:

(a) obtaining a pulp from insects or worms,

(b) heating the pulp to a temperature of 70-100° C., and

(c) subjecting the heated pulp to a physical separation step therebyobtaining a fat fraction, an aqueous protein fraction and asolid-containing fraction,

with the proviso that the method does not comprise enzymatic treatmentof the pulp.

In another aspect, the present invention provides a fat-containingcomposition comprising at least 80 wt. % insect or worm fat based on dryweight, wherein at least 40 wt. % of total fat are saturated fats, thefat comprising at least 7 wt. % lauric acid C12:0, 5-30 wt. % palmiticacid C16:0, and 8-40 wt. % oleic acid C18:1 based on the total fatweight.

In yet another aspect, the invention provides a composition comprisingat least 40 wt. % protein and at most 25 wt. % fat based on dry weight,wherein the protein and the fat are derived from insects or worms andthe protein has a pepsin digestibility of at least 50%, as measured bythe pepsin-HCl method.

In a further aspect, the invention provides the use of the compositionsin food, petfood, feed or pharmaceutical products.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The method according to the invention converts insects or worms intonutrient streams. The term “insects” refers to insects in anydevelopment stage, such as adult insects, insect larvae and insectpupae. Preferably, insect larvae or worms are used. While the method issuitable for all forms of insects, it is particularly suitable forinsect larvae since these contain substantial amounts of chitine whichis usually difficult to separate completely from the other ingredientssuch as fat fraction. A large variety of insects and worms can be used.Preferably, edible insects or edible worms are used. More preferably,the insects are flies, bugs, mosquitos, butterflies, moths, cicadas,termites, bees, ants, wasps, beetles, grasshoppers, or crickets. Morepreferably, the insects belong to the species: black soldier fly(Hermetia illucens), house fly (Musca domestica), morio worm (ZophobasMorio), mealworm (Tenebrio Molitor) or cricket (Gryllida). In apreferred embodiment, the insects belong to the species black soldierfly. The insects and worms are preferably cultivated, e.g. in an insectfarm. The cultivation allows to control and reduces the risks associatedwith diseases of insects and with the toxicity of insect-derivedfoodstuffs, e.g. due to the presence insecticides, in contrast toinsects harvested in the nature. The conversion of the insects or wormsinto nutrient streams can suitably be carried out in a reactor vessel,preferably suitable for continuous operation.

In step (a) a pulp from insects or worms is obtained. Preferably, theinsects or worms are squashed to obtain a pulp. More preferably, theinsects or worms are reduced in size, preferably by cutting and/ormilling. This results in a homogeneous starting material of viscousconsistency. The squashing and reducing in size can conveniently be donein a micro-cutter mill, although other suitable techniques can also beused. During this step, the particle size of the insect or worm remainsin the pulp is preferably less than 1 mm (the largest size to bedetermined using a microscope), more preferably less than 0.5 mm. Theparticle size can be controlled by selection of a specific knife andplate combination and rotating speed; for example one can use a singleor double knife in combination with a sieve mesh of at least 4 mm,preferably around 6 mm. The rotating speed could vary between 1000 and3000 rpm. A skilled person can find suitable conditions in order toreach a desired particle size. A small particle size is advantageous asit facilitates fat extraction, however a too small particle size couldcreate an emulsion making it more difficult to separate the fat in thenext steps. Preferably, the particle size is at least 10 micron. Thereduction in size can also be carried out as a separate step, precedingthe heating step.

In the following step, step (b), the pulp is heated to a temperature inthe range from 60 to 100° C., preferably in the range 80-95° C. Theheating assures that the majority of fats is liquefied in order toprepare a suitable mixture for the following separation step.Preferably, the heating is affected under mixing conditions to promoteseparation of different phases. A skilled person will be able todetermine suitable heating time. Preferably, the pulp is heated during0.1-4 hours, for example 5-10 min. Typically, the pulp is heatedgradually in 1-4 hours, preferably 1-3 hours towards 90° C.

In step (c), the heated pulp is subjected to a physical separation stepto obtain nutrient streams. In the physical separation step differentphases (oil, water, solid) are separated. Preferably, the nutrientstreams are a fat-containing fraction, an aqueous protein fraction and asolid-containing fraction. The physical separation preferablyencompasses decanting, centrifuging, or a combination of the twomethods. It is preferred to avoid pressing of the pulp, which issometimes used in the art to obtain oil. The inventors believe thatpressing can increase the chances to damage the protein product and canalso decrease the content of the available fat since fat could becomelocked in chitine. Therefore, the physical separation step is preferablyperformed at a normal (atmospheric) pressure.

In a preferred embodiment, first, a fat fraction is separated bydecanting, and the remaining mixture is further separated into anaqueous protein fraction and a solid-containing fraction by decanting orcentrifugation. However, the fat, protein and solid-containing fractionscan also be obtained in a different order, or simultaneously, e.g. byusing a 3-phase decanter. In another preferred embodiment, the physicalseparation into three phases is carried out by using a 3-phase decanter.This achieves a great advantage that the three streams are obtained witha minimum of steps (preferably only one step) and thus with minimallosses of the product. Reducing the number of separation steps has alsoadvantages when used in a continuous process.

In a further preferred embodiment, a fat fraction is separated first,e.g. by decanting, and the remaining mixture is not further separatedbut subjected to drying. The remaining mixture therefore combines boththe solid fraction and the aqueous protein fraction. In this embodiment,the non-fat phases are preferably further dried to produce driedmaterial. The dried material is protein-rich and contains both theprotein-rich material from the aqueous protein fraction and solids fromthe solid-containing fraction.

Drying can be effected by different methods, such as air drying, drumdrying, disc drying, flash drying or spray drying. The aqueous proteinfraction is preferably dried by spray drying. The solid-containingfraction is preferably dried by drum drying, although flash drying orother methods are also possible. If spray drying is used for drying thecombined protein and solids material, it may be necessary to reduce thesolid particles present in the mixture first to a required size. Thiscan suitably be done by a micro-cutter mill using a relatively smallsieve mesh, for example 1 mm. When using a micro-cutter, to obtain asuitable mixture of the aqueous protein fraction and solid fraction forfurther drying, both fractions could be dosed together into themicro-cutter; other mixing methods are also possible. The drying of thetwo (mixed) fractions together is preferably performed by spray drying.

In a preferred embodiment, one or more of the above described steps(a)-(c) are carried out in a continuous way. For example, the insects orworms are first milled, which is followed by a heat treatment in line.

The method according to the invention does not comprise enzymatictreatment of the pulp. In this way, the presented method does notrequire costly materials such as enzymes and is simple and economic inpractice.

As a result of the phase separation in the last step, preferably a fatfraction, an aqueous protein fraction and a solid-containing fractionare obtained. In this way, the method results directly in severalnutrient streams. Under nutrients streams in the present descriptionstreams are understood that contain nutrients, such as fats, protein andprotein-derived material, carbohydrates, minerals and/or chitin. For thepurposes of the present description, chitin is also considered anutrient.

The fat-containing fraction predominantly contains insect or worm fat.Under “predominantly containing”, e.g. fat, it is understood that basedon the dry weight, the stream contains more fat (on a weight basis) thanany other component, or in other words, that fat constitutes the majorpart of all ingredients based on dry weight. Generally, “predominantlycontaining” means a content of at least 40 wt. % dry matter, morepreferably at least 50 wt. % dry matter. The aqueous protein fractionpredominantly contains protein.

The fat-containing fraction obtainable by the method according to theinvention, preferably comprises at least 80 wt. %, more preferably atleast 85 wt. %, yet more preferably 90-100 wt. % of insect or worm fatbased on the dry weight of the fat fraction. The insect or worm fat inthe fat fraction comprises at least 40 wt. % and preferably 50-80 wt. %saturated fats, based on the total weight of the fat. The amount ofunsaturated fats is 60 wt. % or less, preferably less than 50 wt. % andmore preferably 20-40 wt. %, based on the total weight of the fat. Theamount of mono unsaturated fatty acids (cis) is preferably from 10 to 45wt. %, more preferably from 15 to 30 wt. %, while the amount polyunsaturated fatty acids is preferably from 1 to 20 wt. %, morepreferably from 5 to 15 wt. %.

In a preferred embodiment, the insect or worm fat contains at least 7wt. %, preferably 8-60 wt. %, more preferably 15-55 wt. %, yet morepreferably 30-50 wt. % of lauric acid C12:0. The insect or worm fatpreferably contains 5-30 wt. %, more preferably 10-20 wt. % of palmiticacid C16:0. Further, the insect or worm fat may further comprise omega-9fatty acids, preferably in an amount 5-45 wt. %, more preferably 10-30wt. %. Under omega-9 fatty acids, the sum of the following acids isunderstood: oleic acid C18:1, eicosenoic acid C20:1, mead acid C20:3,erucic acid C22:1, nervonic acid C24:1. In particular, the insect orworm fat preferably contains 8-40 wt. % oleic acid C18:1, morepreferably, 10-35 wt. %, yet more preferably 13-20 wt. %. Omega-6 fattyacids are preferably present in an amount 2-20 wt. %, more preferably5-10 wt. %. Under omega-6 fatty acids, the sum of the following acids isunderstood: linoleic acid C18:2, gamma-linolenic acid C18:3,eicosadienoic acid C20:2, dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid C20:3, arachidonicacid C20:4, docosadioenoic acid C22:2, adrenic acid C22:4,docosapentaenoic acid C22:5, tetracosatetraenoic acid C24:4,tetracosapentaenoic acid C24:5. For example, linoleic acid C18:2 ispreferably present in an amount 5-15 wt. %. The amount of trans fattyacids is lower than 0.5 wt. %, preferably lower than 0.2 wt. %. Undertrans fatty acids unsaturated fatty acids are meant with at least onecarbon-carbon double bond with a trans configuration, e.g. elaidic acidC18:1. The insect or worm fat is of exceptionally good quality and has alow free fatty acids (FFA) content, such as less than 1 wt. % of thetotal fat (calculated as oleic acid 282 g/mol), preferably less than 0.6wt. %, more preferably less than 0.4 wt. %. The free fatty acids contentcan be measured by standard methods for example titrimetry. The peroxidevalue is preferably less than 3 meq/kg total fat, preferably less than 2meq/kg total fat. For the measurement of peroxide value standard methodsare used, such as the AOCS method. The amounts of fatty acids are basedon the weight of the insect or worm fat, which is the fat component ofthe fat-containing fraction. The fatty acid composition is determined bya standard method NEN-EN-ISO 5508+5509, BF3.

Another fraction obtained in the separation step is an aqueous proteinfraction. Apart from protein, this fraction may comprise otherproteinaceous matter such as peptides, amino acids and/or otherprotein-derived compounds. The aqueous protein fraction can further bedried to obtain dried protein material. This dried material can itselfbe used as a food or feed ingredient, or it can further be processed,e.g. to isolate amino acids. The aqueous fraction is preferably dried byspray drying.

The dried protein material contains at least 40 wt. %, preferably atleast 45 wt. %, more preferably at least 50 wt. % such as 50-85 wt. % ofinsect or worm protein. Under “insect or worm protein” and “insect orworm fat” respectively protein and fat derived from insects or worms aremeant. The amount of fat present in the protein material may vary anddepends in particular on the degree of phase separation of the heatedpulp by decanting or other physical methods. The degree of fatseparation from the heated pulp depends, amongst others, on thecutting-size of the insects, the heating temperature and time of thepulp and the (three-phase) decanter settings. An experienced operatorcan find the right combinations of settings to maximize the fatseparation without harming the proteins and other nutrients. It ispreferred to limit the fat content of the protein material to at most 25wt. %, preferably at most 20, yet more preferably at most 10 wt. % ofinsect or worm fat, based on dry weight. In particular, highertemperatures and longer times during step (b) may be applied to improvethe separation of fats from the aqueous phase and, consequently, toincrease the protein content in the final dried protein material. Thedried protein material is preferably in the form of powder and mayfurther comprise residual moisture, minerals and/or carbohydrates.Preferably, the powder contains less than 8 wt. % moisture, morepreferably less than 5 wt. %, most preferably less than 2 wt. %.Preferably, the protein does not comprise hydrolysed protein matter. Theprotein is preferably in a substantially intact form, that is, at least90% and more preferably at least 95% of the protein is intact, that is,not in the form of peptides or amino acids, which is determined by massspectrometry.

The insect or worm protein in the composition above has preferably apepsin digestibility of at least 50% as determined by a standard“pepsin-HCl” laboratory test such as following the guideline in theThird Commission Directive 72/199/EEC of 27 Apr. 1972.

In a preferred embodiment, the dried protein material contains at least50 wt. % insect or worm protein, which protein has a proteindigestibility of at least 70%, preferably 80-95%. Preferably, theprotein material contains one or more amino acids selected fromasparagine, lysine, isoleucine, methionine and tryptophan. In apreferred embodiment, the protein material is characterized by an aminoacid profile, containing 2-7 wt. % lysine, preferably 2.5-4 wt. %, basedon the total dry weight of the protein material.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the protein material containslysine and further isoleucine 0.4-0.8, threonine 0.5-0.8, tryptophan0.1-0.3 and valine 0.5-1.2, as a weight ratio relative to the lysinecontent. Yet more preferably, the protein material has the followingamino acid profile: alanine 1-1.2, asparagine 0.7-0.9, aspartic acid1.4-1.7, cysteine 0.08-0.15, glutamic acid 1.5-3.5, glycine 0.8-1.1,histidine 0.4-0.7, isoleucine 0.4-0.8, leucine 0.6-1.3, methionine0.05-0.4, phenylalanine 0.4-1.5, proline 1-1.2, serine 0.5-0.8,threonine 0.5-0.8, tryptophan 0.1-0.3, tyrosine 0.5-1.2, valine 0.5-1.2,the values being the weight ratio relative to lysine. This amino acidprofile is particularly suitable for various food and feed applicationsas a protein or amino acids source. The amino acid profile is determinedaccording to the method NEN-EN-ISO 13903.

In another preferred embodiment, the dried protein material furthercontains minerals such as calcium and/or phosphorus. Preferably, thecalcium content of the protein material is at least 4,500, morepreferably 60,000-30,000 mg/kg, based on dry weight of the proteinmaterial. The phosphorus content of the protein material is preferablyat least 5000 mg/kg, based on dry weight. The calcium and phosphoruscontent is determined by the OCP-OES method.

The dried protein material may contain limited amounts of fats;preferably, the composition of this fat fraction is the same asdescribed above for the fat-containing stream separated from the pulp.In particular, the fat fraction of the protein material preferablycomprises at least 40 wt. % and preferably 50-80 wt. % saturated fats,based on the total weight of the fat. The amount of unsaturated fats is60 wt. % or less, preferably less than 50 wt. % and more preferably20-40 wt. %, based on the total weight of the fat. The amount of monounsaturated fatty acids (cis) is preferably from 10 to 45 wt. %, morepreferably from 15 to 30 wt. %, while the amount poly unsaturated fattyacids is preferably from 1 to 20 wt. %, more preferably from 5 to 15 wt.%. In a preferred embodiment, the insect or worm fat contains at least 7wt. %, preferably 8-60 wt. %, more preferably 15-55 wt. %, yet morepreferably 30-50 wt. % of lauric acid C12:0. The insect or worm fatpreferably contains 5-30 wt. %, more preferably 10-20 wt. % of palmiticacid C16:0. Further, the insect or worm fat may further comprise omega-9fatty acids, preferably in an amount 5-45 wt. %, more preferably 10-30wt. %. Omega-6 fatty acids are preferably present in an amount 2-20 wt.%, more preferably 5-10 wt. %. The amount of trans fatty acids is lowerthan 0.5 wt. %, preferably lower than 0.2 wt. %. If desired, the fatfraction of the protein material can be isolated for further use.

The remaining solid-containing fraction obtained in the separation step(d), which step encompasses for example decanting or centrifugation,represents a wet pulp, or a suspension. This wet pulp can easily bedistinguished and separated from the aqueous protein fraction. The wetpulp contains solids such as chitin and chitin-derivatives. Preferably,the solid-containing fraction contains 2-50 wt. %, preferably 5-40 wt. %chitin, based on dry weight. The wet pulp may further comprise proteinand/or fat-containing matter. The protein matter preferably has thecomposition as described herein-above for the aqueous protein fraction,and the protein has a pepsin digestibility of the protein-derived matterin the range 50-95%, preferably 70-90% as can be determined by astandard “pepsin-HCl” laboratory test; and particularly by following theguideline in the Third Commission Directive 72/199/EEC of 27 Apr. 1972.The fat-containing matter preferably has the composition as describedabove for the fat-containing fraction obtained after physical separationof the pulp.

The solid-containing fraction can further be dried to obtain solidmaterial. Preferably, air drying is used. The solid-containing fractioncan also be further processed to isolate chitin. Chitin is apolysaccharide that can be used in various applications. In foodindustry, chitin can be used as an additive to thicken and stabilisefoods and pharmaceuticals. It can also be used in animal feed as anutrient source.

The advantage of the method of the invention is that by simple physicalseparation the bulk of insect of worm mass is separated into valuablenutrient streams, of which the fat fraction and the dried proteinmaterial may be of particular value. These streams are not contaminatedwith chemicals and are ready for use in further application withoutpurification. The isolated nutrient streams can further be used in thepreparation of food or feed, or of food or feed additives, or inpharmaceutical industry. Preferably, the compositions are used in ananimal feed product. For example, the protein material and the fatfraction can, respectively, be used in animal feed as a crude proteinand a crude fat source. The obtained streams can also be processedfurther, e.g. to isolate specific ingredients such as hydrolysedprotein, amino acids, or specific fatty acids.

The invention is now illustrated in the following, non-limitingexamples.

EXAMPLE 1

1000 kg fresh larvae of black soldier fly are squashed and cut in amicro-cutter mill to obtain insect pulp with an average particle sizeless than 0.5 mm. The pulp is introduced in a reaction vessel and isheated to 90° C. during 1 hour and then brought into a decanter. Fromthe decanter a fat fraction and a combined protein fraction areobtained. The combined protein fraction contains “larvae water” withmostly insect protein and a solid residue.

The composition of the fat fraction after disc centrifugation is givenin Table 1. The fatty acids composition of the crude fat is given inTable 2, wherein the percentage is based on the weight of the crude fat.The fatty acids composition was determined by NEN-EN-ISO 5508+5509, BF3method. The fatty acids are referred to as Cn:m, wherein n is the amountof carbon atoms, and n is the amount of unsaturated carbon-carbon bonds.

TABLE 1 Component Content (wt. %) Moisture (after disc centrifuge) n/aCrude protein (Dumas, N × 6.25) <0.5 Crude fat (petroleum-etherextraction) 99.1 Crude fiber (long method) <0.3 Crude ashes (550° C.)0.2 FFA (calculated as oleic acid 282 g/mol) 0.5 Peroxide value 2.7meq/kg fat

TABLE 2 Fatty acid Content (wt. %) C10:0 1.3 C12:0 43.1 C14:0 7.3 C14:10.3 C15:0 0.2 C16:0 14.6 C16:1 2.9 C17:0 <0.1 C18:0 2.0 C18:1 17.0 C18:1cis 0.3 C18:2 8.3 C18:3n3 1.1 C20:5 0.3 trans fatty acids <0.1 saturatedfatty acids 68.7 mono unsaturated fatty acids 20.4 poly unsaturatedfatty acids 9.8 unsaturated fatty acids 30.2 omega-3 fatty acids 1.5omega-6 fatty acids 8.3 omega-9 fatty acids 17.0 omega-3/omega-6 0.2

The combined protein fraction is further separated by decanting, intolarvae water and a solid-containing fraction. The larvae water isspray-dried to obtain protein material with the composition as shown inTable 3. The fat composition of the crude fat fraction of the proteinmaterial is given in Table 4, wherein the percentages refer topercentages by weight based on the total weight of the crude fatfraction. The amino acid composition of the crude protein is given inTable 5, wherein the percentages refer to percentages by weight based onthe total weight of the dried protein material. The amino acid profileis determined according to the method NEN-EN-ISO 13903.

TABLE 3 Component Content (wt. %) Moisture (dry matter at 103° C.) 7.7Crude protein (Dumas, N × 6.25) 58 Crude fat (after pre-extraction andhydrolysis) 4.6 Crude ashes (550° C.) 13.2 Crude fiber (long method)<0.3 FFA (calculated as oleic acid 282 g/mol) 0.6 Peroxide value <0.1meq/kg fat Phosphorus, mg/kg 6000 Calcium, mg/kg 7300

TABLE 4 Fatty acid Content (wt. %) C8:0 <0.1 C10:0 1.3 C12:0 40.9 C14:07 C14:1 0.2 C15:0 0.2 C16:0 15.0 C16:1 2.8 C17:0 0.1 C18:0 2.4 C18:117.7 C18:1 cis 0.3 C18:2 8.3 C18:3n3 1.0 C20:0 0.2 C20:3n3 0.1 C20:5 0.3C22:0 0.2 trans fatty acids <0.1 saturated fatty acids 67.4 monounsaturated fatty acids 21.0 poly unsaturated fatty acids 9.7unsaturated fatty acids 30.8 omega-3 fatty acids 1.5 omega-6 fatty acids8.3 omega-9 fatty acids 17.8 omega-3/omega-6 0.2

TABLE 5 Content Content relative Amino acid (wt. %) to lysine (wt/wt)Alanine 3.29 1.12 Asparagine 2.32 0.79 Aspartic acid 4.32 1.47 Cysteine0.30 0.10 Glutamic acid 10.05 3.43 Glycine 2.58 0.88 Histidine 1.97 0.67Isoleucine 1.42 0.48 Leucine 1.84 0.63 Lysine 2.93 1.00 Methionine 0.170.06 Phenylalanine 1.29 0.44 Proline 3.21 1.10 Serine 1.80 0.61Threonine 1.77 0.60 Tryptophan 0.61 0.21 Tyrosine 1.86 0.63 Valine 1.960.67

The composition of the air-dried solid fraction (using drum drying) isgiven in Table 6. The fat composition of the crude fat fraction is givenin Table 7, wherein the percentages refer to percentages by weight basedon the total weight of the crude fat fraction. The amino acidcomposition of the crude protein is given in Table 8, wherein thepercentages refer to percentages by weight based on the total weight ofthe dried solid fraction. Chitin and chitin-derivatives are comprised inthe crude fiber and partly in crude fiber in Table 6.

TABLE 6 Component Content (wt. %) Moisture (dry matter, 103° C.) 1.3Crude protein (Dumas, N × 6.25) 53.5 Crude fat (after pre-extraction andhydrolysis) 22.8 Crude ashes (550° C.) 12.2 Crude fiber (long method)13.6 FFA (calculated as oleic acid 282 g/mol) 0.9 Peroxide value 2.3meq/kg fat Energy value, kJ/100 g 1762 Phosphorus, mg/kg (ICP-OES) 12300Calcium, mg/kg (ICP-OES) 38000

TABLE 7 Fatty acid Content (wt. %) C8:0 <0.1 C10:0 1.0 C12:0 36.4 C14:06.4 C14:1 0.2 C15:0 0.2 C16:0 16.9 C16:1 2.9 C17:0 0.1 C18:0 3.0 C18:119.4 C18:1 cis 0.4 C18:2 9.0 C18:3n3 1.0 C20:0 0.2 C20:l <0.1 C20:3n30.2 C20:5 0.3 C22:0 0.2 trans fatty acids <0.1 saturated fatty acids64.4 mono unsaturated fatty acids 23.1 poly unsaturated fatty acids 10.5unsaturated fatty acids 33.6 omega-3 fatty acids 1.5 omega-6 fatty acids9.0 omega-9 fatty acids 19.5 omega-3/omega-6 0.2

TABLE 8 Content Content relative to Amino acid (wt. %) lysine (wt/wt)Alanine 3.53 1.12 Asparagine 2.50 0.80 Aspartic acid 4.74 1.51 Cysteine0.42 0.13 Glutamic acid 4.99 1.59 Glycine 3.19 1.02 Histidine 1.44 0.46Isoleucine 2.05 0.65 Leucine 3.58 1.14 Lysine 3.14 1.00 Methionine 0.990.32 Phenylalanine 1.99 0.63 Proline 3.22 1.03 Serine 2.31 0.74Threonine 2.09 0.67 Tryptophan 0.76 0.24 Tyrosine 3.21 1.02 Valine 3.211.02

EXAMPLE 2

Example 1 was repeated except that the larvae water and solid containingfraction were combined, further reduced in size and then spray-dried toobtain a combined protein meal with the composition as shown in Table 9.

The fat composition of the crude fat fraction of the protein material isgiven in Table 10, wherein the percentages refer to percentages byweight based on the total weight of the crude fat fraction. The aminoacid composition of the crude protein is given in Table 11, wherein thepercentages refer to percentages by weight based on the total weight ofthe dried protein material. The amino acid profile is determinedaccording to the method NEN-EN-ISO 13903.

TABLE 9 Component Content (wt. %) Moisture (dry matter, 103° C.) 4.0Crude protein (Dumas, N × 6.25) 54.7 Crude fat (after pre-extraction andhydrolysis) 10.2 Crude ashes (550° C.) 12.9 Crude fiber (long method)10.9 FFA (calculated as oleic acid 282 g/mol) 0.1 Peroxide value 1.5meq/kg fat Energy value, kJ/100 g 1350

TABLE 10 Fatty acid Content (wt. %) C10:0 1.2 C12:0 42.5 C14:0 7.5 C14:10.3 C15:0 0.2 C16:0 15.6 C16:1 2.8 C17:0 <0.1 C18:0 2.3 C18:1 17.5 C18:1cis 0.2 C18:2 7.8 C18:3n3 1.0 C20:5 0.3 trans fatty acids <0.1 saturatedfatty acids 69.3 mono unsaturated fatty acids 20.8 poly unsaturatedfatty acids 9.1 unsaturated fatty acids 29.9 omega-3 fatty acids 1.3omega-6 fatty acids 7.8 omega-9 fatty acids 17.5 omega-3/omega-6 0.2

TABLE 11 Content Content relative to Amino acid (wt. %) lysine (wt/wt)Alanine 3.40 1.10 Asparagine 2.72 0.88 Aspartic acid 5.02 1.62 Cysteine0.42 0.12 Glutamic acid 6.39 2.07 Glycine 2.94 0.95 Histidine 1.65 0.53Isoleucine 2.42 0.78 Leucine 3.84 1.24 Lysine 3.09 1.00 Methionine 0.940.30 Phenylalanine 4.55 1.47 Proline 3.36 1.09 Serine 2.26 0.73Threonine 2.20 0.71 Tryptophan 0.78 0.25 Tyrosine 3.52 1.14 Valine 3.401.10

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method to convert insects or worms intonutrient streams, comprising the steps of: (a) obtaining a pulp frominsects or worms, wherein the insects or worms are reduced in size; (b)heating the pulp to a temperature of 70-100° C., thereby assuring that amajority of fats contained in the pulp are liquefied; and (c) subjectingthe heated pulp to a physical separation step to obtain a first nutrientstream comprising a fat fraction, a second nutrient stream comprising anaqueous protein fraction, and a third nutrient stream comprising asolid-containing fraction, wherein the method does not compriseenzymatic treatment of the pulp of steps (a), (b), and (c) and does notcomprise addition of reagents or chemicals to the pulp of steps (a),(b), and (c).
 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the insectsare insect larvae.
 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein theinsects or worms are selected from the group consisting of house flies,soldier flies, morio worms, mealworms, and crickets.
 4. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the method is a continuous method.
 5. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein the physical separation comprisesdecanting and/or centrifugation.
 6. The method according to claim 1,wherein the aqueous protein fraction and the solid-containing fractionare combined and dried together after step (c).
 7. The method accordingto claim 1, wherein the aqueous protein fraction and thesolid-containing fraction are separately dried after step (c).
 8. Themethod according to claim 7, wherein the aqueous protein fraction isspray-dried.
 9. The method according to claim 7, wherein thesolid-containing fraction is air-dried.
 10. The method according toclaim 1, wherein the insects or worms in the pulp are reduced to aparticle size of less than 1 mm prior to step b.